When does a pink sapphire become a pink toned Ruby?

[Bron357]

Hi all, just curious as both sapphire and ruby are varieties of corundum, when does a pink sapphire start being called a pinkish Ruby? Is it jeweller / gem sellers interpretation and marketing? Does the "name" affect the pricing? I can imagine pale and light pink tones being called pink sapphire but as the tone darkens there must be a "point" where the gem starts getting called a Ruby? Or are there particular crystal characteristics or inclusions that say "this gem is a Ruby"? Thoughts?

 

[DDOC]

Nothing to do with inclusions Bron, it is based purely on perception.
To be Ruby it must be predominately red in body colour, but may have pink tones, like Thai Ruby.
Many tradtional sources like Sri Lanka will say that dark pink stones are Ruby, but western consumers will call them pink Sapphires.
All in all it is subjective to the buyer and seller, if you like it and think of it as more Ruby in colour then it is to you.

 

[Nsmike]

A ruby is a when a corundum gemstone has a primary color of red. Here's a link to the GIA color manual http://www4.gia.edu/tryelearning/220-08/media/resources/cs08_printable.pdf There is an entire section on corundum. If you look at a color analysis of a stone and the primary color is red with a large R in can be considered a ruby. It seems that graders are less willing to say ruby on the orange end of the spectrum and with more lightly saturated stones

 

[Bron357]

This is my antique ring, excuse the iPhone photo, it's a Ruby but to me I'm wondering if it's more pink than red and therefore a pink sapphire.

 

[DDOC]

lighting is difficult Bron, and can often wash out a stone.
Looks like strong pink to me from that pic, but in real life if the red tones come out more like a Thai Ruby then you would call it Ruby
I always preferred the definite red of a Burmese

 

[kenny]

Many things affect what hue we each see when looking at pics online.

If I had your beautiful stone and wanted to be sure whether or not it falls into the hue-range of ruby I'd take it out of the setting and send it to AGL in NY.
IMO, anything short of that is much much less certain.

Not to piddle around with semantics but there's no such thing as a "pink-toned ruby".
A ruby, by definition, is red with a capital R.

 

[Nsmike]

This is what Kenny means I think. This is a section of the GIA Color Wheel Where when you have the capital R and lower case modifier you have a ruby. There is no pink modifier pink is a way to descibe tone
Red-Purple or Purple-Red
RP/PR
strongly purplish Red
stpR
slightly purplish Red
slpR
Red
R
orangy Red
oR
Red-Orange or Orange-Red
RO/OR

 

[Bron357]

Well I'm going to stick with it as being a Ruby. It's a family ring which I "weaselled it out" of my grandmother about 40 years ago now because my birthstone is Ruby and therefore of all the grand kids, I'm the July baby and it should come to me !! If it's a sapphire, my cousin Michelle, born September (sapphire) might lodge a complaint!

 

[DDOC]

Hi Bron, if you go to GSL to check your yellow Sapphire you could ask them to look over the Ruby for a casual opinion.

 

[Bron357]

Yes, I was thinking that too. I can't have the Ruby unmounted though (my mother would kill me) but again, I didn't think it had much value being a little ruby with little diamonds.Years ago when I had the prongs re done the jeweller (Steiners in Castlereagh st before the old man passed) remarked that it was a very fine untreated or un something Ruby with a few surface abrasions consistent with age. It's about 6.1mm round and eye clean though under the 10x you can see like bits of somethings! So technical !

 

[DDOC]

Hi Bron,
6.1 mm round will likely be 1.00 cts, or just over.
With the price of Ruby now, if it is an unheated Thai or Burmese it is still likely to be in the $1,000's to replace a clean bright stone.
Round over 6 mm are getting harder to find as most are cut for weight retention and end up being a fat oval shape at best.

 

[carmen1]

Yes, I was thinking that too. I can't have the Ruby unmounted though (my mother would kill me) but again, I didn't think it had much value being a little ruby with little diamonds.Years ago when I had the prongs re done the jeweller (Steiners in Castlereagh st before the old man passed) remarked that it was a very fine untreated or un something Ruby with a few surface abrasions consistent with age. It's about 6.1mm round and eye clean though under the 10x you can see like bits of somethings! So technical !

FYI no need to take the stone out of the setting for AGL, they will provide a report on a mounted stone.
http://aglgemlab.com/pricelist/